[Hoakie]

Inspired to do something new... Hand-cut Dovetails

Is it odd that every time I get a new power tool to perform a task, I get an urge to try and do it by hand as well? Anyway it seems to happen to me a lot. This year I received a dovetail jig for Christmas and was up and running cutting half-blind dovetails in no time. However, I have been wanting to learn techniques working with hand tools for a long time to expand my arsenal.

Over the past few weeks I've been eying some of the entries to the Winter Challenge, the videos of the Japanese master craftsman, and Mike Ogden's blog. The result… I finally got the fire under me to try something new. Hand Cut Dovetails

Like any good woodworker in the internet age, I quickly ran to YouTube to find a good how-to video. The first one I happened on was a video by Village Carpenter I watch her methodically cut out a nice tight joint and thought…No Problem! I ran out to the shop and started hacking away at some 3/4" pine I had laying around. My first product….

Ok, this is not really your classic dovetail….in fact not really a dove tail at all!! An angled box joint perhaps? I was in such a rush to just get cutting that I didn't think through the layout or visualize what I was trying to create. So I glued it up anyway and just let it sit while I grabbed another set of boards, 3/8" in pine this time. I figured it would go a bit quicker…..

Low and behold….same problem. Ugh I'm a moron. again glue up and quit for the night!

The next day I decided I would go back an do some more research and watch more videos. I also made the pledge to cut a dovetail a day until I got better. I remember reading about someone who did this a long time ago….I just looked it up and come to find the article was written by none other than Christopher Schwarz so how wrong could it be…Right?

I watched the Village Carpenter's video again found where I went wrong. I also found a video that used sliver pins (can't find source again) I got pretty excited because things were looking good but I realized that I was still rushing the process. I actually got a dovetail joint this time but it was pretty ugly and I think the sliver made it pretty hard to learn

The next night I went back to the more conventional dovetail and got pretty good results.

I tried to force the joint a bit and you can see the result. A nice split . You can also see that I got a little cocky and thought I could remember where the waste was supposed to be, but…. I wasn't I will mark the waste from now on .

Encouraged that I actually cut a dovetail I decided to watch some more video. I watched Klausz and Cosman their battle for the fastest dovetails. I also learned about pins first vs tails first. I really am not sure if I understand the benefits of one over the other but I now know there are people that do it both ways, and there is nothing wrong with either

My next attempt so so.

Everything seemed ok as I was cutting it but I was way off in terms of fit and alignment. It was down right sloppy. I had been cutting these with a cheap Craftsman gentleman's saw that had been used to cut a variety of things other than wood. I decided I should try a better saw, I had heard that Japanese pull saws were pretty easy to learn how to use for dovetailing so I decided to get a Dozuki with a gift card I had received to the WoodSmith store in Des Moines.

That night I also ran across a video by Robby Pederson on Woodworking Online. He operates a shop just north of me and only uses tools that were available in 1875. I think this is one of the best videos I've seen because he offers a lot of technique as well as tips and tricks. Up until this point I had been cutting "tails first"...Robby cut "pins first" so I thought I'd give that a try. The result….

Not too shabby. This joint was VERY tight and you can see that several fingers were a good tight seal. I think I needed to cut closer to the lines on my tails. I had to use my chisel and a rasp to knock down some pinch points. There were also several cuts what were not too straight but overall I was very pleased. I will also need to stop up and see his shop sometime, maybe even take a class from him if SWMBO is feeling nice

Tonight I decided to revisit the "tails first" approach to see if there was any difference now that I had the Dozuki.

I think this is the best one yet in terms of intial fit without havning to tweak too much. I glued this one up and planed down the excess to see what the finished product would look like. Aside from a little gap here and there I think it is pretty respectable for my 7th one.

Now I have quite a few nights of practice ahead of me….I'll post if I see dramatic improvement.

Oh yeah, another great video resource I found tonight was from WoodTreks. This video also explains a lot of technique as they go.

I should also mention that when I got the Dozuki, I abandoned using a coping saw to cut out waste because the blade I had is too thick to fit into the thin kerf. I have been using Robby Peterson's method for waste removal.

Ok, it has been two months since I started this trek and tonight I reached a new milestone. I was finally able to assemble a dovetail right off the saw. And WOW that makes it nice to not have to worry about messing things up trying to get it to all fit together. There were a couple of small defects but over all pretty nice. Last month was really busy so didn't get much practice in but I'll try to get another couple weeks in before summer hits

 

[superdav721]

Inspired to do something new... Hand-cut Dovetails

Is it odd that every time I get a new power tool to perform a task, I get an urge to try and do it by hand as well? Anyway it seems to happen to me a lot. This year I received a dovetail jig for Christmas and was up and running cutting half-blind dovetails in no time. However, I have been wanting to learn techniques working with hand tools for a long time to expand my arsenal.

Over the past few weeks I've been eying some of the entries to the Winter Challenge, the videos of the Japanese master craftsman, and Mike Ogden's blog. The result… I finally got the fire under me to try something new. Hand Cut Dovetails

Like any good woodworker in the internet age, I quickly ran to YouTube to find a good how-to video. The first one I happened on was a video by Village Carpenter I watch her methodically cut out a nice tight joint and thought…No Problem! I ran out to the shop and started hacking away at some 3/4" pine I had laying around. My first product….

Ok, this is not really your classic dovetail….in fact not really a dove tail at all!! An angled box joint perhaps? I was in such a rush to just get cutting that I didn't think through the layout or visualize what I was trying to create. So I glued it up anyway and just let it sit while I grabbed another set of boards, 3/8" in pine this time. I figured it would go a bit quicker…..

Low and behold….same problem. Ugh I'm a moron. again glue up and quit for the night!

The next day I decided I would go back an do some more research and watch more videos. I also made the pledge to cut a dovetail a day until I got better. I remember reading about someone who did this a long time ago….I just looked it up and come to find the article was written by none other than Christopher Schwarz so how wrong could it be…Right?

I watched the Village Carpenter's video again found where I went wrong. I also found a video that used sliver pins (can't find source again) I got pretty excited because things were looking good but I realized that I was still rushing the process. I actually got a dovetail joint this time but it was pretty ugly and I think the sliver made it pretty hard to learn

The next night I went back to the more conventional dovetail and got pretty good results.

I tried to force the joint a bit and you can see the result. A nice split . You can also see that I got a little cocky and thought I could remember where the waste was supposed to be, but…. I wasn't I will mark the waste from now on .

Encouraged that I actually cut a dovetail I decided to watch some more video. I watched Klausz and Cosman their battle for the fastest dovetails. I also learned about pins first vs tails first. I really am not sure if I understand the benefits of one over the other but I now know there are people that do it both ways, and there is nothing wrong with either

My next attempt so so.

Everything seemed ok as I was cutting it but I was way off in terms of fit and alignment. It was down right sloppy. I had been cutting these with a cheap Craftsman gentleman's saw that had been used to cut a variety of things other than wood. I decided I should try a better saw, I had heard that Japanese pull saws were pretty easy to learn how to use for dovetailing so I decided to get a Dozuki with a gift card I had received to the WoodSmith store in Des Moines.

That night I also ran across a video by Robby Pederson on Woodworking Online. He operates a shop just north of me and only uses tools that were available in 1875. I think this is one of the best videos I've seen because he offers a lot of technique as well as tips and tricks. Up until this point I had been cutting "tails first"...Robby cut "pins first" so I thought I'd give that a try. The result….

Not too shabby. This joint was VERY tight and you can see that several fingers were a good tight seal. I think I needed to cut closer to the lines on my tails. I had to use my chisel and a rasp to knock down some pinch points. There were also several cuts what were not too straight but overall I was very pleased. I will also need to stop up and see his shop sometime, maybe even take a class from him if SWMBO is feeling nice

Tonight I decided to revisit the "tails first" approach to see if there was any difference now that I had the Dozuki.

I think this is the best one yet in terms of intial fit without havning to tweak too much. I glued this one up and planed down the excess to see what the finished product would look like. Aside from a little gap here and there I think it is pretty respectable for my 7th one.

Now I have quite a few nights of practice ahead of me….I'll post if I see dramatic improvement.

Oh yeah, another great video resource I found tonight was from WoodTreks. This video also explains a lot of technique as they go.

I should also mention that when I got the Dozuki, I abandoned using a coping saw to cut out waste because the blade I had is too thick to fit into the thin kerf. I have been using Robby Peterson's method for waste removal.

They look tight enough to hold water. Dude they look great. Really good. So what is the next skill for you to place in your woodworkers toolbox of knowledge? Here is one double beveled blind mitered. JK
John A plus job!

 

[Hoakie]

Inspired to do something new... Hand-cut Dovetails

Is it odd that every time I get a new power tool to perform a task, I get an urge to try and do it by hand as well? Anyway it seems to happen to me a lot. This year I received a dovetail jig for Christmas and was up and running cutting half-blind dovetails in no time. However, I have been wanting to learn techniques working with hand tools for a long time to expand my arsenal.

Over the past few weeks I've been eying some of the entries to the Winter Challenge, the videos of the Japanese master craftsman, and Mike Ogden's blog. The result… I finally got the fire under me to try something new. Hand Cut Dovetails

Like any good woodworker in the internet age, I quickly ran to YouTube to find a good how-to video. The first one I happened on was a video by Village Carpenter I watch her methodically cut out a nice tight joint and thought…No Problem! I ran out to the shop and started hacking away at some 3/4" pine I had laying around. My first product….

Ok, this is not really your classic dovetail….in fact not really a dove tail at all!! An angled box joint perhaps? I was in such a rush to just get cutting that I didn't think through the layout or visualize what I was trying to create. So I glued it up anyway and just let it sit while I grabbed another set of boards, 3/8" in pine this time. I figured it would go a bit quicker…..

Low and behold….same problem. Ugh I'm a moron. again glue up and quit for the night!

The next day I decided I would go back an do some more research and watch more videos. I also made the pledge to cut a dovetail a day until I got better. I remember reading about someone who did this a long time ago….I just looked it up and come to find the article was written by none other than Christopher Schwarz so how wrong could it be…Right?

I watched the Village Carpenter's video again found where I went wrong. I also found a video that used sliver pins (can't find source again) I got pretty excited because things were looking good but I realized that I was still rushing the process. I actually got a dovetail joint this time but it was pretty ugly and I think the sliver made it pretty hard to learn

The next night I went back to the more conventional dovetail and got pretty good results.

I tried to force the joint a bit and you can see the result. A nice split . You can also see that I got a little cocky and thought I could remember where the waste was supposed to be, but…. I wasn't I will mark the waste from now on .

Encouraged that I actually cut a dovetail I decided to watch some more video. I watched Klausz and Cosman their battle for the fastest dovetails. I also learned about pins first vs tails first. I really am not sure if I understand the benefits of one over the other but I now know there are people that do it both ways, and there is nothing wrong with either

My next attempt so so.

Everything seemed ok as I was cutting it but I was way off in terms of fit and alignment. It was down right sloppy. I had been cutting these with a cheap Craftsman gentleman's saw that had been used to cut a variety of things other than wood. I decided I should try a better saw, I had heard that Japanese pull saws were pretty easy to learn how to use for dovetailing so I decided to get a Dozuki with a gift card I had received to the WoodSmith store in Des Moines.

That night I also ran across a video by Robby Pederson on Woodworking Online. He operates a shop just north of me and only uses tools that were available in 1875. I think this is one of the best videos I've seen because he offers a lot of technique as well as tips and tricks. Up until this point I had been cutting "tails first"...Robby cut "pins first" so I thought I'd give that a try. The result….

Not too shabby. This joint was VERY tight and you can see that several fingers were a good tight seal. I think I needed to cut closer to the lines on my tails. I had to use my chisel and a rasp to knock down some pinch points. There were also several cuts what were not too straight but overall I was very pleased. I will also need to stop up and see his shop sometime, maybe even take a class from him if SWMBO is feeling nice

Tonight I decided to revisit the "tails first" approach to see if there was any difference now that I had the Dozuki.

I think this is the best one yet in terms of intial fit without havning to tweak too much. I glued this one up and planed down the excess to see what the finished product would look like. Aside from a little gap here and there I think it is pretty respectable for my 7th one.

Now I have quite a few nights of practice ahead of me….I'll post if I see dramatic improvement.

Oh yeah, another great video resource I found tonight was from WoodTreks. This video also explains a lot of technique as they go.

I should also mention that when I got the Dozuki, I abandoned using a coping saw to cut out waste because the blade I had is too thick to fit into the thin kerf. I have been using Robby Peterson's method for waste removal.

Dave,

I think maybe I'll give half-blinds a shot first ....Baby steps

 

[superdav721]

Inspired to do something new... Hand-cut Dovetails

Is it odd that every time I get a new power tool to perform a task, I get an urge to try and do it by hand as well? Anyway it seems to happen to me a lot. This year I received a dovetail jig for Christmas and was up and running cutting half-blind dovetails in no time. However, I have been wanting to learn techniques working with hand tools for a long time to expand my arsenal.

Over the past few weeks I've been eying some of the entries to the Winter Challenge, the videos of the Japanese master craftsman, and Mike Ogden's blog. The result… I finally got the fire under me to try something new. Hand Cut Dovetails

Like any good woodworker in the internet age, I quickly ran to YouTube to find a good how-to video. The first one I happened on was a video by Village Carpenter I watch her methodically cut out a nice tight joint and thought…No Problem! I ran out to the shop and started hacking away at some 3/4" pine I had laying around. My first product….

Ok, this is not really your classic dovetail….in fact not really a dove tail at all!! An angled box joint perhaps? I was in such a rush to just get cutting that I didn't think through the layout or visualize what I was trying to create. So I glued it up anyway and just let it sit while I grabbed another set of boards, 3/8" in pine this time. I figured it would go a bit quicker…..

Low and behold….same problem. Ugh I'm a moron. again glue up and quit for the night!

The next day I decided I would go back an do some more research and watch more videos. I also made the pledge to cut a dovetail a day until I got better. I remember reading about someone who did this a long time ago….I just looked it up and come to find the article was written by none other than Christopher Schwarz so how wrong could it be…Right?

I watched the Village Carpenter's video again found where I went wrong. I also found a video that used sliver pins (can't find source again) I got pretty excited because things were looking good but I realized that I was still rushing the process. I actually got a dovetail joint this time but it was pretty ugly and I think the sliver made it pretty hard to learn

The next night I went back to the more conventional dovetail and got pretty good results.

I tried to force the joint a bit and you can see the result. A nice split . You can also see that I got a little cocky and thought I could remember where the waste was supposed to be, but…. I wasn't I will mark the waste from now on .

Encouraged that I actually cut a dovetail I decided to watch some more video. I watched Klausz and Cosman their battle for the fastest dovetails. I also learned about pins first vs tails first. I really am not sure if I understand the benefits of one over the other but I now know there are people that do it both ways, and there is nothing wrong with either

My next attempt so so.

Everything seemed ok as I was cutting it but I was way off in terms of fit and alignment. It was down right sloppy. I had been cutting these with a cheap Craftsman gentleman's saw that had been used to cut a variety of things other than wood. I decided I should try a better saw, I had heard that Japanese pull saws were pretty easy to learn how to use for dovetailing so I decided to get a Dozuki with a gift card I had received to the WoodSmith store in Des Moines.

That night I also ran across a video by Robby Pederson on Woodworking Online. He operates a shop just north of me and only uses tools that were available in 1875. I think this is one of the best videos I've seen because he offers a lot of technique as well as tips and tricks. Up until this point I had been cutting "tails first"...Robby cut "pins first" so I thought I'd give that a try. The result….

Not too shabby. This joint was VERY tight and you can see that several fingers were a good tight seal. I think I needed to cut closer to the lines on my tails. I had to use my chisel and a rasp to knock down some pinch points. There were also several cuts what were not too straight but overall I was very pleased. I will also need to stop up and see his shop sometime, maybe even take a class from him if SWMBO is feeling nice

Tonight I decided to revisit the "tails first" approach to see if there was any difference now that I had the Dozuki.

I think this is the best one yet in terms of intial fit without havning to tweak too much. I glued this one up and planed down the excess to see what the finished product would look like. Aside from a little gap here and there I think it is pretty respectable for my 7th one.

Now I have quite a few nights of practice ahead of me….I'll post if I see dramatic improvement.

Oh yeah, another great video resource I found tonight was from WoodTreks. This video also explains a lot of technique as they go.

I should also mention that when I got the Dozuki, I abandoned using a coping saw to cut out waste because the blade I had is too thick to fit into the thin kerf. I have been using Robby Peterson's method for waste removal.

John to me the layout of the end of the tail on the pin board. Was the hardest to get tight. But thats what glue and sawdust is for I also played with sawing past my layout lines on the pin board and it was easier on waste removal. And makes it look old school. I was joking about above joint. I dont think I have ever seen one. Think of the layout a double bevel full blind tail. There is no way I could lay it out much less cut it.

 

[Kentuk55]

Inspired to do something new... Hand-cut Dovetails

Is it odd that every time I get a new power tool to perform a task, I get an urge to try and do it by hand as well? Anyway it seems to happen to me a lot. This year I received a dovetail jig for Christmas and was up and running cutting half-blind dovetails in no time. However, I have been wanting to learn techniques working with hand tools for a long time to expand my arsenal.

Over the past few weeks I've been eying some of the entries to the Winter Challenge, the videos of the Japanese master craftsman, and Mike Ogden's blog. The result… I finally got the fire under me to try something new. Hand Cut Dovetails

Like any good woodworker in the internet age, I quickly ran to YouTube to find a good how-to video. The first one I happened on was a video by Village Carpenter I watch her methodically cut out a nice tight joint and thought…No Problem! I ran out to the shop and started hacking away at some 3/4" pine I had laying around. My first product….

Ok, this is not really your classic dovetail….in fact not really a dove tail at all!! An angled box joint perhaps? I was in such a rush to just get cutting that I didn't think through the layout or visualize what I was trying to create. So I glued it up anyway and just let it sit while I grabbed another set of boards, 3/8" in pine this time. I figured it would go a bit quicker…..

Low and behold….same problem. Ugh I'm a moron. again glue up and quit for the night!

The next day I decided I would go back an do some more research and watch more videos. I also made the pledge to cut a dovetail a day until I got better. I remember reading about someone who did this a long time ago….I just looked it up and come to find the article was written by none other than Christopher Schwarz so how wrong could it be…Right?

I watched the Village Carpenter's video again found where I went wrong. I also found a video that used sliver pins (can't find source again) I got pretty excited because things were looking good but I realized that I was still rushing the process. I actually got a dovetail joint this time but it was pretty ugly and I think the sliver made it pretty hard to learn

The next night I went back to the more conventional dovetail and got pretty good results.

I tried to force the joint a bit and you can see the result. A nice split . You can also see that I got a little cocky and thought I could remember where the waste was supposed to be, but…. I wasn't I will mark the waste from now on .

Encouraged that I actually cut a dovetail I decided to watch some more video. I watched Klausz and Cosman their battle for the fastest dovetails. I also learned about pins first vs tails first. I really am not sure if I understand the benefits of one over the other but I now know there are people that do it both ways, and there is nothing wrong with either

My next attempt so so.

Everything seemed ok as I was cutting it but I was way off in terms of fit and alignment. It was down right sloppy. I had been cutting these with a cheap Craftsman gentleman's saw that had been used to cut a variety of things other than wood. I decided I should try a better saw, I had heard that Japanese pull saws were pretty easy to learn how to use for dovetailing so I decided to get a Dozuki with a gift card I had received to the WoodSmith store in Des Moines.

That night I also ran across a video by Robby Pederson on Woodworking Online. He operates a shop just north of me and only uses tools that were available in 1875. I think this is one of the best videos I've seen because he offers a lot of technique as well as tips and tricks. Up until this point I had been cutting "tails first"...Robby cut "pins first" so I thought I'd give that a try. The result….

Not too shabby. This joint was VERY tight and you can see that several fingers were a good tight seal. I think I needed to cut closer to the lines on my tails. I had to use my chisel and a rasp to knock down some pinch points. There were also several cuts what were not too straight but overall I was very pleased. I will also need to stop up and see his shop sometime, maybe even take a class from him if SWMBO is feeling nice

Tonight I decided to revisit the "tails first" approach to see if there was any difference now that I had the Dozuki.

I think this is the best one yet in terms of intial fit without havning to tweak too much. I glued this one up and planed down the excess to see what the finished product would look like. Aside from a little gap here and there I think it is pretty respectable for my 7th one.

Now I have quite a few nights of practice ahead of me….I'll post if I see dramatic improvement.

Oh yeah, another great video resource I found tonight was from WoodTreks. This video also explains a lot of technique as they go.

I should also mention that when I got the Dozuki, I abandoned using a coping saw to cut out waste because the blade I had is too thick to fit into the thin kerf. I have been using Robby Peterson's method for waste removal.

lotsa gr8 input ya'll. I'll have ta come back fer some more good lessons.

 

[Hoakie]

Shop renovation #?? who knows lost count

Ok, as some of you know or gathered from my electrical questions, I have been upgrading my shop once again. When we had our new deck built this summer, I had the electrician run a 40amp sub panel to my shop. You can read about it here. When all was said and done I ran a dedicated 20amp circuit to the DC and 2 independent 20 amp GFCI circuits (about 10 pair of duplex outlets) around the shop. I debated about how high to mount them. I know 48" is fairly standard, however, i do not have an 8" ceiling so i wanted to leave space to hang stuff on the walls without worrying about covering the outlets. I settled on 42" to the top of the box. this gave me just over 48" from the floor joists to the top of the outlet. it also made hanging the top row of dry wall easier. if I had to do it again I would probably have mounted them 42" to center of the box. As it is, the bottom of the box is @ 38" which is plenty high, even if I put a 36" work surface there. After the dry wall went up i wanted to have a way of easily configuring shop walls so I am in the process of hanging three rows of french cleat around the entire shop. I have each row spaced @14"

also notice the "built-in" nook for the jointer. i really didn't want to lose the extra 4" since it is a pretty tight walk way as is All i have left are a few more strips of french cleat and rehang the DC plumbing, hopefully I'll time to make xmas presents….this is taking longer than i had hoped. You can see its previous state in my workshop pics

Thanks for looking

 

[superdav721]

Shop renovation #?? who knows lost count

Ok, as some of you know or gathered from my electrical questions, I have been upgrading my shop once again. When we had our new deck built this summer, I had the electrician run a 40amp sub panel to my shop. You can read about it here. When all was said and done I ran a dedicated 20amp circuit to the DC and 2 independent 20 amp GFCI circuits (about 10 pair of duplex outlets) around the shop. I debated about how high to mount them. I know 48" is fairly standard, however, i do not have an 8" ceiling so i wanted to leave space to hang stuff on the walls without worrying about covering the outlets. I settled on 42" to the top of the box. this gave me just over 48" from the floor joists to the top of the outlet. it also made hanging the top row of dry wall easier. if I had to do it again I would probably have mounted them 42" to center of the box. As it is, the bottom of the box is @ 38" which is plenty high, even if I put a 36" work surface there. After the dry wall went up i wanted to have a way of easily configuring shop walls so I am in the process of hanging three rows of french cleat around the entire shop. I have each row spaced @14"

also notice the "built-in" nook for the jointer. i really didn't want to lose the extra 4" since it is a pretty tight walk way as is All i have left are a few more strips of french cleat and rehang the DC plumbing, hopefully I'll time to make xmas presents….this is taking longer than i had hoped. You can see its previous state in my workshop pics

Thanks for looking

Wow I like the french cleats. Its looking very clean, needs sawdust, planer shavings and empty coffee cups. All kidding aside, John coming along well. The nook is cool to.

 

[Smitty_Cabinetshop]

Shop renovation #?? who knows lost count

Ok, as some of you know or gathered from my electrical questions, I have been upgrading my shop once again. When we had our new deck built this summer, I had the electrician run a 40amp sub panel to my shop. You can read about it here. When all was said and done I ran a dedicated 20amp circuit to the DC and 2 independent 20 amp GFCI circuits (about 10 pair of duplex outlets) around the shop. I debated about how high to mount them. I know 48" is fairly standard, however, i do not have an 8" ceiling so i wanted to leave space to hang stuff on the walls without worrying about covering the outlets. I settled on 42" to the top of the box. this gave me just over 48" from the floor joists to the top of the outlet. it also made hanging the top row of dry wall easier. if I had to do it again I would probably have mounted them 42" to center of the box. As it is, the bottom of the box is @ 38" which is plenty high, even if I put a 36" work surface there. After the dry wall went up i wanted to have a way of easily configuring shop walls so I am in the process of hanging three rows of french cleat around the entire shop. I have each row spaced @14"

also notice the "built-in" nook for the jointer. i really didn't want to lose the extra 4" since it is a pretty tight walk way as is All i have left are a few more strips of french cleat and rehang the DC plumbing, hopefully I'll time to make xmas presents….this is taking longer than i had hoped. You can see its previous state in my workshop pics

Thanks for looking

That is way cool! And that's not coffee in that brown bottle, now, is it? <grin>

 

[ShaneA]

Shop renovation #?? who knows lost count

Ok, as some of you know or gathered from my electrical questions, I have been upgrading my shop once again. When we had our new deck built this summer, I had the electrician run a 40amp sub panel to my shop. You can read about it here. When all was said and done I ran a dedicated 20amp circuit to the DC and 2 independent 20 amp GFCI circuits (about 10 pair of duplex outlets) around the shop. I debated about how high to mount them. I know 48" is fairly standard, however, i do not have an 8" ceiling so i wanted to leave space to hang stuff on the walls without worrying about covering the outlets. I settled on 42" to the top of the box. this gave me just over 48" from the floor joists to the top of the outlet. it also made hanging the top row of dry wall easier. if I had to do it again I would probably have mounted them 42" to center of the box. As it is, the bottom of the box is @ 38" which is plenty high, even if I put a 36" work surface there. After the dry wall went up i wanted to have a way of easily configuring shop walls so I am in the process of hanging three rows of french cleat around the entire shop. I have each row spaced @14"

also notice the "built-in" nook for the jointer. i really didn't want to lose the extra 4" since it is a pretty tight walk way as is All i have left are a few more strips of french cleat and rehang the DC plumbing, hopefully I'll time to make xmas presents….this is taking longer than i had hoped. You can see its previous state in my workshop pics

Thanks for looking

Looks like a great work space, may it serve you well on the years to come. I like the french cleats, very versatile, should make arranging/rearranging wall storage easy to maximize your work flow.

 

[KTMM]

Shop renovation #?? who knows lost count

Ok, as some of you know or gathered from my electrical questions, I have been upgrading my shop once again. When we had our new deck built this summer, I had the electrician run a 40amp sub panel to my shop. You can read about it here. When all was said and done I ran a dedicated 20amp circuit to the DC and 2 independent 20 amp GFCI circuits (about 10 pair of duplex outlets) around the shop. I debated about how high to mount them. I know 48" is fairly standard, however, i do not have an 8" ceiling so i wanted to leave space to hang stuff on the walls without worrying about covering the outlets. I settled on 42" to the top of the box. this gave me just over 48" from the floor joists to the top of the outlet. it also made hanging the top row of dry wall easier. if I had to do it again I would probably have mounted them 42" to center of the box. As it is, the bottom of the box is @ 38" which is plenty high, even if I put a 36" work surface there. After the dry wall went up i wanted to have a way of easily configuring shop walls so I am in the process of hanging three rows of french cleat around the entire shop. I have each row spaced @14"

also notice the "built-in" nook for the jointer. i really didn't want to lose the extra 4" since it is a pretty tight walk way as is All i have left are a few more strips of french cleat and rehang the DC plumbing, hopefully I'll time to make xmas presents….this is taking longer than i had hoped. You can see its previous state in my workshop pics

Thanks for looking

Wow, I guess I need to update my workshop pics since it's getting pretty empty now…..

 

[Hoakie]

Shop renovation #?? who knows lost count

Ok, as some of you know or gathered from my electrical questions, I have been upgrading my shop once again. When we had our new deck built this summer, I had the electrician run a 40amp sub panel to my shop. You can read about it here. When all was said and done I ran a dedicated 20amp circuit to the DC and 2 independent 20 amp GFCI circuits (about 10 pair of duplex outlets) around the shop. I debated about how high to mount them. I know 48" is fairly standard, however, i do not have an 8" ceiling so i wanted to leave space to hang stuff on the walls without worrying about covering the outlets. I settled on 42" to the top of the box. this gave me just over 48" from the floor joists to the top of the outlet. it also made hanging the top row of dry wall easier. if I had to do it again I would probably have mounted them 42" to center of the box. As it is, the bottom of the box is @ 38" which is plenty high, even if I put a 36" work surface there. After the dry wall went up i wanted to have a way of easily configuring shop walls so I am in the process of hanging three rows of french cleat around the entire shop. I have each row spaced @14"

also notice the "built-in" nook for the jointer. i really didn't want to lose the extra 4" since it is a pretty tight walk way as is All i have left are a few more strips of french cleat and rehang the DC plumbing, hopefully I'll time to make xmas presents….this is taking longer than i had hoped. You can see its previous state in my workshop pics

Thanks for looking

LOL @ Smitty, that is my post night's work celebration bottle . It helps me plan the next night's work and sleep well too

 

[Hoakie]

Go Big or Go Home?

Two years after purchasing my last big tool (Rikon 10-325), I saved enough for my latest purchase, the Delta 18-900L 18-Inch Laser Drill Press. I've started putting aside $25 a month + any gift cards etc. to save for major tool purchases and it has worked really well and makes it easier to justify to SWMBO.

Since I'm relatively young and plan on doing this woodworking thing a while, I've decided to adopt the philosophy of trying to buy quality tools that will last a long time and leave me with few regrets. I debated about purchasing this tool for a long time since there are many options that are cheaper, however I really didn't want to be sitting around in a couple years regretting that I had compromised on some features. In particular, I wanted a large work surface, wide speed range, and large quill stroke. From all the positive reviews and looking at it along side the Powermatic and several other models at the Woodsmith store, I am sure I won't be disappointed. I'll post a review when I get it set up. In the mean time I'll be tracking it's progress across the country

 

[superdav721]

Go Big or Go Home?

Two years after purchasing my last big tool (Rikon 10-325), I saved enough for my latest purchase, the Delta 18-900L 18-Inch Laser Drill Press. I've started putting aside $25 a month + any gift cards etc. to save for major tool purchases and it has worked really well and makes it easier to justify to SWMBO.

Since I'm relatively young and plan on doing this woodworking thing a while, I've decided to adopt the philosophy of trying to buy quality tools that will last a long time and leave me with few regrets. I debated about purchasing this tool for a long time since there are many options that are cheaper, however I really didn't want to be sitting around in a couple years regretting that I had compromised on some features. In particular, I wanted a large work surface, wide speed range, and large quill stroke. From all the positive reviews and looking at it along side the Powermatic and several other models at the Woodsmith store, I am sure I won't be disappointed. I'll post a review when I get it set up. In the mean time I'll be tracking it's progress across the country

Great John I can't wait to see it. Good things come to those who wait. A piece at a time.
Now for me if the tools are to precise it will show the human error in my design.

 

[stefang]

Go Big or Go Home?

Two years after purchasing my last big tool (Rikon 10-325), I saved enough for my latest purchase, the Delta 18-900L 18-Inch Laser Drill Press. I've started putting aside $25 a month + any gift cards etc. to save for major tool purchases and it has worked really well and makes it easier to justify to SWMBO.

Since I'm relatively young and plan on doing this woodworking thing a while, I've decided to adopt the philosophy of trying to buy quality tools that will last a long time and leave me with few regrets. I debated about purchasing this tool for a long time since there are many options that are cheaper, however I really didn't want to be sitting around in a couple years regretting that I had compromised on some features. In particular, I wanted a large work surface, wide speed range, and large quill stroke. From all the positive reviews and looking at it along side the Powermatic and several other models at the Woodsmith store, I am sure I won't be disappointed. I'll post a review when I get it set up. In the mean time I'll be tracking it's progress across the country

I totally agree with your philosophy of purchasing quality tools John, and I am not a rich guy saying that. Good or top quality tools are the cheapest in the shop in the long run, and the satisfaction factor is priceless!

 

[helluvawreck]

Go Big or Go Home?

Two years after purchasing my last big tool (Rikon 10-325), I saved enough for my latest purchase, the Delta 18-900L 18-Inch Laser Drill Press. I've started putting aside $25 a month + any gift cards etc. to save for major tool purchases and it has worked really well and makes it easier to justify to SWMBO.

Since I'm relatively young and plan on doing this woodworking thing a while, I've decided to adopt the philosophy of trying to buy quality tools that will last a long time and leave me with few regrets. I debated about purchasing this tool for a long time since there are many options that are cheaper, however I really didn't want to be sitting around in a couple years regretting that I had compromised on some features. In particular, I wanted a large work surface, wide speed range, and large quill stroke. From all the positive reviews and looking at it along side the Powermatic and several other models at the Woodsmith store, I am sure I won't be disappointed. I'll post a review when I get it set up. In the mean time I'll be tracking it's progress across the country

For those who can afford to buy several good tools at a time, it can be wise to purchase you a package deal from a commercial dealer that services furniture plants, cabinet shops, and serious woodworkers across a 150 mile radius area. If they know that you are serious about purchasing a package deal they are very creative at cutting their prices when they sharpen their pencils. That's the way I bought my large machines. Before deciding on a dealer I negotiated with every one that I could locate within a reasonable distance. I paid no freight and the whole package was delivered to my shop door on their truck with a tailgate lift and set where I wanted it to go. What needed to be put together they didn't assemble for me but they did carefully uncrate every machine and help me check for any noticeable damage and then hauled off the crates and all packing materials.

helluvawreck
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com/

 

[Hoakie]

Shop Tour

A quick tour of my shop

 

[superdav721]

Shop Tour

A quick tour of my shop

A great tour John. I enjoyed it. You were in depth but short a sweet.You are building a very nice set of tools. I do love wrapping the whole shop in french cleat. I am jealous of your square footage. Compared to mine you got a ponderosa. Great video I enjoyed it. Tag this on your shop on your home page.

 

[Trev_Batstone]

Shop Tour

A quick tour of my shop

Thanks for the tour and a lovely shop as well. I wish I had that much space. Happy woodworking!

 

[JL7]

Shop Tour

A quick tour of my shop

Hey John - great tour - great shop! Love grandpas saw, that will always be a special tool….the french cleats are sweet and the file cabinet o' wood is is a nice touch! Oh - that Jet spindle sander for $125 is SWEET…....Take it easy on the fingers with the chisels and thanks for sharing…..

Jeff

 

[woodtimes]

Shop Tour

A quick tour of my shop

Nice tour and shop!